MOSCOW, December 20. /TASS/. Moscow and Washington are unlikely to hold consultations on visa issues before the end of the year, Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Sergey Ryabkov said in response to a TASS question on Monday.

"I think that it’s impossible given that it’s already December 20," he pointed out. "The US has so far shown no signs of willingness to at least slightly change its position on the key issues that we have repeatedly brought up," Ryabkov added.

According to the senior Russian diplomat, the United States is right now just trying "to decorate its position." "This is how we view it, so next year we will see what’s possible and what’s not," he added.

In response to Washington’s sanctions and more expulsions of Russian diplomats, Moscow banned the US embassy from hiring Russian and third country citizens. The US embassy said later that it would reduce the range of consular services, including considering visa applications other than those for diplomatic trips, starting on May 12. Visa issuance to diplomatic personnel also slowed down considerably. Since August 1, the US Embassy in Moscow has been operating with only 120 employees, its lowest number in five years.